Employment Minister Mark Hoban says there is "clearly a challenge" in Grimsby following a recent spate of job losses.

His remarks came as quarterly labour market figures showed a slight increase in unemployment in North East Lincolnshire.

The total claimant count for jobseekers' allowance in December 2012 was 6,295, an increase on November's figure of 6,120.

But in Yorkshire and the Humber as a whole, employment was up by around 34,000. Mr Hoban told the Telegraph: "I think there's clearly a challenge in Hull and Grimsby, in how you respond to some of big changes in the make-up of the economy in those areas."